Legal aid funding

Vulnerable people are to be offered better access to legal aid after the Legal Service Commission (LSC) has decided to buy more than 40,000 extra cases of face-to-face civil legal aid. The invitation to tender for work will include 10,000 family law cases, with particular emphasis on domestic abuse and children, and 30,000 cases of social welfare law. The £10m scheme has been made available through greater efficiency in the legal aid system. Carolyn Regan, chief executive of the LSC says: “We are prioritising this funding for those organisations that can address a range of legal problems, minimising the need for onward referrals between agencies.”